MUMBAI: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers, (on March 6), intercepted a man who tried to smuggle 12 gold bars, at Mumbai Airport.
Reportedly, the passenger tied the gold bars to his heels with the help of adhesive and two socks. A case has been registered against the alleged smuggler, Thiruppathy Palaniyandy.
Palaniyandy, an architectural supervisor by profession, had acquired the gold from Singapore, where he was employed, and supposed to deliver it to someone in Mumbai.
Palaniyandy, whose home town is Sathiyamangalam in Pudukkottai district in Tamil Nadu, had arrived from Singapore by Air India flight AI 343. The gold bars seized from him weighed around 100 grams each.
An AIU official said that Palaniyandy earns Rs 150000 per month. He admitted that the gold he was carrying belonged to a person named Muru of Singapore and he was going to hand it over to someone in Mumbai.
According to AIU officials, he pleaded with them to not inform his family about the smuggling incident, as they knew nothing about his illegal activities.